Building community confidence in community corrections
Date
2020-08-16
Authors
Bartels, Lorana
Weatherburn, Don
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Sydney
Abstract
It is inevitable that some people granted conditional release will (re)offend, but most will complete their order without incident. Nevertheless, the standard approach adopted by correctional agencies to communicating with the public about community corrections is one of minimal information. We suggest that this may create an impression that offenders are dark shadowy figures incapable of change or redemption. To address this, we set out an agenda for Australian governments to build public confidence in community corrections. We call for more robust program evaluation, publication of the results and regular updates on trends in successful order completion. We also highlight the importance of educating the public about crime and corrections and the need to improve the credibility of community corrections. Finally, governments should do more to humanise offenders. The public has a right to know more about how offenders are managed in the community. They also deserve to hear the stories behind the statistics.
Description
Keywords
Australia, community corrections, corrections agencies, public confidence, public opinion
Citation
Lorana Bartels & Don Weatherburn (2020) Building community confidence in community corrections, Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 32:3, 292-308, DOI: 10.1080/10345329.2020.1801150
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Source
Current Issues in Criminal Justice
Type
Journal article
Book Title
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Access Statement
Open Access
License Rights
Restricted until
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Description
Author Accepted Manuscript